Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, September 21
Bowling Green, Ohio
6 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Daniel Carlson, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Return To Stroh; Start MAC Play Against NIU Thursday, Friday
September 19, 2023 | Volleyball
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Unity Match, Faculty Staff Appreciation Thursday; Dollar Night, Alumni Night Friday
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will head into the conference portion of the 2023 schedule this week, hosting Northern Illinois on Thursday and Friday (Sept. 21-22). Both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m. in the Stroh with Thursday being Unity Night for the Falcons and Friday Dollar Night as well as Alumni Night.
The Falcons are riding high from the weekend home-and-home sweep over the Michigan Wolverines. During non-conference play, the Falcons recorded a 6-5 record, facing two nationally ranked teams as well as Texas A&M and Michigan. BGSU will now shift attention to the Mid-American Conference for the next 18 regular season matches. Over the last three seasons BGSU has tallied a 51-6 record in regular season MAC play and have had at least 11 MAC wins in seven straight seasons.
At The Match
Thursday's match against the Huskies will have two promotions. It will be the Unity Match for BGVB as well as Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night. As for Friday, it will be Dollar Night at the Stroh Center and Alumni Night with alums of the BGSU Volleyball program being recognized. For Dollar Night on Friday (Sept. 22), tickets will be $1 as well as select concessions items.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Northern Illinois Huskies will enter MAC play with a 2-10 non-conference standing. The first win of the season for NIU came against UNCW in five sets, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to tally the win. The second victory for the Huskies this year was a three-set sweep over North Dakota, holding UND to under 20 points in each set.
On the attack, NIU is led by the duo of Nikolette Nedic and Charli Atiemo who have combined for 244 kills, accounting for over 43% of the team's output. On the defensive side, Atiemo leads the team in blocks as well with 44 on the year. Northern Illinois wrapped up their non-conference schedule at the Northern Iowa Tournament. The Huskies fell in three sets to both No. 25 Dayton and host Northern Iowa. However, NIU picked up a win over North Dakota, also a 3-0 final, to finish the non-conference season 2-10.
Entering the weekend, the Falcons and Huskies have met 46 times in program history. NIU holds the all-time advantage with a record of 29-17, but the Orange and Brown have won six of the last seven meetings, including the last five inside the Stroh Center. The last Northern Illinois win in Bowling Green came during the 2015 campaign. The lone meeting last year went to the Huskies in a 3-1 final in DeKalb.
Closing In On Win 200
Head coach Danijela Tomic is closing in on a milestone win with the Falcons. Now in her 12th season with the Orange and Brown, Tomic enters the weekend against Northern Illinois with 198 wins at the helm of BGSU Volleyball, standing just two wins away from 200. Of those 200, 128 have come in conference play. During her 19 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, Tomic has recorded 357 victories.
Seeking Strong Conference Start
The Falcons will be looking to start the MAC portion of the schedule on a high note with a pair of matches on deck. BGSU has begun MAC play with a 2-0 record each of the last five seasons, dating back to the 2018 campaign for the Orange and Brown. During that stretch, the best MAC start came during the COVID 2020-21 season, beginning with an 18-0 MAC record. That stretch started with a pair of wins over Northern Illinois, which is also the last time BGSU and NIU faced twice in a season.
Falcons On The Attack
During the non-conference schedule, the Falcons logged the fourth-best hitting percentage in the Mid-American Conference with a mark of .213. Only Buffalo, Western Michigan and Miami (OH) have a higher hitting percentage entering MAC play. Northern Illinois has also allowed the second-highest hitting percentage so far this season, allowing their opponent to hit .241 on the year.
BGSU Block Party
In the second match against Michigan, the Falcons recorded a season-high 15 blocks. On the year, BGSU is averaging 2.13 blocks per set, third in the MAC, and has totaled 152 blocks, which leads the conference entering MAC play. Both Jessica Andrews (1.06) and Alexis Mettille (0.91) are inside the Top 10 in the MAC for blocks per set, making BGSU and Ball State the only teams with two players in the Top 10.
Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons volleyball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSUVolleyball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuvolleyball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics' and 'Bowling Green State University Volleyball'
TikTok - @bgsuvolleyball
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'
The Falcons are riding high from the weekend home-and-home sweep over the Michigan Wolverines. During non-conference play, the Falcons recorded a 6-5 record, facing two nationally ranked teams as well as Texas A&M and Michigan. BGSU will now shift attention to the Mid-American Conference for the next 18 regular season matches. Over the last three seasons BGSU has tallied a 51-6 record in regular season MAC play and have had at least 11 MAC wins in seven straight seasons.
At The Match
Thursday's match against the Huskies will have two promotions. It will be the Unity Match for BGVB as well as Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night. As for Friday, it will be Dollar Night at the Stroh Center and Alumni Night with alums of the BGSU Volleyball program being recognized. For Dollar Night on Friday (Sept. 22), tickets will be $1 as well as select concessions items.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Northern Illinois Huskies will enter MAC play with a 2-10 non-conference standing. The first win of the season for NIU came against UNCW in five sets, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to tally the win. The second victory for the Huskies this year was a three-set sweep over North Dakota, holding UND to under 20 points in each set.
On the attack, NIU is led by the duo of Nikolette Nedic and Charli Atiemo who have combined for 244 kills, accounting for over 43% of the team's output. On the defensive side, Atiemo leads the team in blocks as well with 44 on the year. Northern Illinois wrapped up their non-conference schedule at the Northern Iowa Tournament. The Huskies fell in three sets to both No. 25 Dayton and host Northern Iowa. However, NIU picked up a win over North Dakota, also a 3-0 final, to finish the non-conference season 2-10.
Entering the weekend, the Falcons and Huskies have met 46 times in program history. NIU holds the all-time advantage with a record of 29-17, but the Orange and Brown have won six of the last seven meetings, including the last five inside the Stroh Center. The last Northern Illinois win in Bowling Green came during the 2015 campaign. The lone meeting last year went to the Huskies in a 3-1 final in DeKalb.
Closing In On Win 200
Head coach Danijela Tomic is closing in on a milestone win with the Falcons. Now in her 12th season with the Orange and Brown, Tomic enters the weekend against Northern Illinois with 198 wins at the helm of BGSU Volleyball, standing just two wins away from 200. Of those 200, 128 have come in conference play. During her 19 seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, Tomic has recorded 357 victories.
Seeking Strong Conference Start
The Falcons will be looking to start the MAC portion of the schedule on a high note with a pair of matches on deck. BGSU has begun MAC play with a 2-0 record each of the last five seasons, dating back to the 2018 campaign for the Orange and Brown. During that stretch, the best MAC start came during the COVID 2020-21 season, beginning with an 18-0 MAC record. That stretch started with a pair of wins over Northern Illinois, which is also the last time BGSU and NIU faced twice in a season.
Falcons On The Attack
During the non-conference schedule, the Falcons logged the fourth-best hitting percentage in the Mid-American Conference with a mark of .213. Only Buffalo, Western Michigan and Miami (OH) have a higher hitting percentage entering MAC play. Northern Illinois has also allowed the second-highest hitting percentage so far this season, allowing their opponent to hit .241 on the year.
BGSU Block Party
In the second match against Michigan, the Falcons recorded a season-high 15 blocks. On the year, BGSU is averaging 2.13 blocks per set, third in the MAC, and has totaled 152 blocks, which leads the conference entering MAC play. Both Jessica Andrews (1.06) and Alexis Mettille (0.91) are inside the Top 10 in the MAC for blocks per set, making BGSU and Ball State the only teams with two players in the Top 10.
Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons volleyball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSUVolleyball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuvolleyball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics' and 'Bowling Green State University Volleyball'
TikTok - @bgsuvolleyball
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
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